Council speaker pushes for outdoor dining to be year-round in New York City, but not all agree

NEW YORK (WABC) — It was a lifeline during the pandemic. Outdoor dining gave people a way to get out and socialize and allowed many restaurant owners to stay in business.

Last year, the rules changed to only allow outdoor dining from April until November.

But, a new proposal from New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin would bring outdoor dining sheds back year-round.

It’s a polarizing proposal.

Some support outdoor dining. Others say it’s a relic of the pandemic and leads to rats and unsanitary conditions.

Menin said on Wednesday that she and the supporters of this proposal have ideas on how to make sure this is palatable for districts where people feel there is “oversaturation.”

“I’m deeply committed to making sure that outdoor dining is year-round. I’m also focused on making it easier for restaurants to be able to have licenses. One of the issues is the very high cost to the revocable consent fees. That’s another area we are looking at, I have a bill that addresses that, that will bring those fees down,” Menin said. “So we can kind of reduce the impediments to outdoor dining. That’s really the goal of the package.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has already said he supports a return to year-round outdoor dining.

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